When I first came here, I thought it was better. Thing is, it's a very subjective thing to say that this version of EQ is better than todays version. First off, todays version is a different game altogether. They've changed so many mechanics and added so many and changed where you go. Second, difficulty is measured differently for different players and if you're not happy with the standard level-up model where people go through the tutorial and tss zones and hotzones then you're free in todays EQ to do more difficult things. Lastly, there shouldn't be any doubt that todays EQ has more UI functionality, better support for modern computers and better gfx.
I think the biggest misconception about todays EQ is that it's easier. While I think that it's easier in some ways, I think that it all balances out when you sum it all up. Yes, there're mercenaries and pots and guild lobby summoners and powerful items (defiant armor/weapons) and so on, but most players use these upgrades to play in harder content. They're not playing in 1999-02 zones most of the time. Keep in mind here that, generally, the newer the expansion is the harder the mobs are to kill. So while they're beefy compared to what htey might have been in 1999-02, they're also playing in harder content so the upgrade in power isn't as noticeable. And another important factor is that todays EQ gets harder and harder the higher your level is. It was like this in 1999-02 EQ as well. So by the time you get close to level cap you're looking for groups not soloing. If people are comparing the difficulty of todays EQ only during hte low levels then they're missing hte mark bigtime. Another thing I see is vets complaining that noobs level up so fast. Well, so what? There're 90 levels now and 5000 aa's. That's a lot more ground to cover so naturally they will level up faster. Duh!
While I can't say that EQ in 1999-02 is better than EQ circa 2010, I can say I liked some of the older EQ things more than I like how they're implemented or not implemented in new EQ. For example, in old EQ most people couldn't breathe underwater. I liked that. I like an environment that's dangerous. I liked hitting lava in lavastorm and getting burnt. I liked falling to my death in Velk's labyrinth. Those kinds of things challenged me to play smarter. I don't like how they were made less and less a concern as EQ matured or as you leveled. For example, lots of items allowed you to breathe underwater and levitate was something you could buy as a potion. Many of hte zones changed too and seemed more linear. I mean, compare upper/lower guk to a zone like toskirak (sof) or some of hte newer zones. There's something much less linear about guk and similar old zones. All in all, this is just one example. And something else relating to zones are the maps. One thing I like about p1999 is that some zones don't have maps and your group doesn't show on the map window. While I know this is inconvenient for some, I actually like this because it puts a lot more value on people who know the zones and communicate well with their group. And, oh, I like how in 1999-02 EQ the homecities are still important and serve as gateways for new players into the world. The racial cultures still matter! Hard to pull off with a low population, though. And something I've seen overlooked by others in the wars about who is best is that WOW had racial homecities that were still used. This was the case even when most new players in EQ were starting in the tutorial and going through TSS zones and living in POK. Odd isn't it that features of 1999-02 EQ are present in some of the best modern games but weren't in modern EQ. One final example of something I liked is how 1999-02 EQ items could be traded and sold, Most of them weren't no drop. In todays EQ most things are attunable or no trade or no drop. While this prevents items from swamping the market, it's lame. I think the primary reason for it was to limit plat/item sellers and hackers. I think it's like sacrificing freedom for security, but at the cost of fun.
I recently played on live earlier this year in jan/feb 2010.
I'd encourage people to try out live EQ and go to cap before judging it prematurely.
I think House of Thule ($40, includes all expansions; adds houses) is looking to be a good expansion so far.
I voted Pffft. Free EQ.
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